Observation #2

Class/section: FHS 1500-F14

Name:
BETTY LE
Assignment: Observation 2
Background Information
Childs age:
5 to 5 YEARS OLD
Fictitious name: JADE
Location:
AMERICAN PREPARATORY ACADEMY
Brief
OBSERVED HOME CLASSROOM AND MATH/READING GROUPS. TOTAL
Description:
OBSERVATION DURATION: 3 HOURS
Physical Development
When I observed in a 1st grade classroom at A.P.A., the students were mostly 6 years old
except for one or two students who were still 5. I observed a girl named Jade. She was
supposed to be in Kindergarten, but tested high enough during her pre-assessments that she
was promoted to 1st grade. I thought it would make an interesting observation to see Jades
interactions in the classroom because of how her age difference might affect her.
My first impression of Jade physically was she didnt seem any younger than her other
peers. Her height and weight showed no signs of any obvious or significant differences. She was
at least 3 feet tall just as suggested on pg. 168 of the Invitation to the Life Span text book. As
far as maturity at first glance, she was engaged, showed signs of comprehension, and was able
to control herself of any impulses by staying in her seat quietly as she was told. However, the
possibility of her prefrontal cortex being less developed than her peers is likely due to the fact
shes a year younger. Because of this, I hope to find cognitive, social, and emotional
comparisons to support that idea. The maturity of the cortex is very limited in infants and it
continues to keep developing for many more years (Berger, 2014, pg. 178).
At age five, it is evident Jades motor skills are more fine-tuned than the previous child
Emily, who I observed was only two. Unlike Emily when she was having difficulties holding a
balloon, Jade mastered the pincer movement (Berger, 2014, pg.105). She is able to grasp her
pencil correctly and do letters in cursive such as the letters of her name. The advancement of
her developing motor skills such as being able to copy difficult shapes and letters (like her
cursive) can be shown on a chart on page 171 of the textbook.
Intellection/Cognitive Development
During Jades age, its a sensitive period for learning English or any other languages.
When homeroom broke out to do speed reads, Jade was able to read out loud at least 150
words in 2 minutes. She didnt stumble, and seemed articulate when answering questions. The
rate of language and grammar learned during early childhood can be dependent on how much
parents/adults speak on a daily basis to the child (Berger, 2014, pg. 189). I can guess that she
receives a lot of support at home when it comes to language and vocabulary.
When it was time for math groups, Jade was not as excited to go. Although she did well
in reading, she was more apprehensive about math. She was placed in a CMC B group which is

considered second grade level math. As Im observing her, I noticed during the lesson she
would get an answer right on a concept such as borrowing from a two-digit number. However,
when she was brought back later to the same concept, she got the answer wrong. Even though
I could sense the underlying frustration, the teacher did not give up on Jade and gave more
repetitions till she was able to pick it up again. On page 256 of the Life Span textbook, Robert
Seigler discusses the information processing of a childs brain and how that can affect their
comprehension of math. Seigler compares the acquisition of knowledge with waves on a
beach when the tide is rising. (Berger, 2014, pg. 256) He describes that in the way we see how
water comes in waves onto the beach, knowledge comes in waves that then get washed into
the brain. Some things get retained, but we should have children do lots of practice to bring
them to mastery with a new concept. By the teacher giving Jade more reps, it will help solidify
her understanding of borrowing in the future.
Social/Emotional Development
Although Jade is very bright when it comes to her age and she was able to move onto
first grade, what she is missing from her other 1st grade peers is more experiences to overcome
the guilt that is explained in Eriksons third developmental stage initiative vs. guilt on pg.206
of the textbook. Jade tried something new in math, and the outcome made her feel guilty of
herself. When the math teacher told Jade (in an unemotional tone) she needed to try a
problem again because it was incorrect, Jade shut down and began to cry. She was unable to
move past it. It took her about 10 minutes to recompose herself. It didnt matter if the teacher
reassured her it was okay to make mistakes, or tried to calm her down with positive
reinforcements, she had the inability to regain control of her emotions. I believe this correlates
back to the maturity of her pre-frontal cortex mentioned on pg. 178. Technically, Jade is
supposed to start her first year of Kindergarten. The other students in the group are first and
second graders. They had at least one year prior of experience to realize its okay to make
mistakes in school. Although they might feel bad about themselves, they will less likely cry or
shut down like Jade.
Within the first five initial minutes of being unable to successfully calm Jade down, the
teacher chose to socially exclude jade during math. She was told to put her head down to use
that time to calm down. During this period, she was not allowed to participate or talk to those
around her. The students were told to ignore her and have her be left alone until she was ready
to join them and learn math. This is comparable to the Social Exclusion mentioned in chapter 6
on page 229 of the textbook, It is considered a time-out in which an adult requires
misbehaving child to sit quietly, without toys or playmates, for a short time. After another five
minutes, Jade seemed to physically become calmer. She had stopped crying, her breath
returned to a more natural state, and she sat back up bringing her attention back to the lesson
being taught. Jade responded well to this disciplinary technique. I can understand how this
method is favored by many experts in the U.S. (Berger, 2014, pg. 256).
Overall, even though Jade is less developed emotionally than her peers, she is advanced
academically. Although her temperament can prove to be an obstacle in some subject areas
such as math, I believe Jade will be fine. Over time as her pre-frontal cortex become more
mature, Jade will be able to handle herself in stressful situations more accordingly.

Works Cited
Berger, K. S. (2014). Invitation to the life span (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Worth Publishers.